CenterFielder ~ Marcus Maye ~ Florida Gators5115/207

Old Roles are getting dramatically transformed, and virtually every Front 7 ~ or Front 6!! ~ Defensive Job Description is transitioning into an Hybrid Role where the Defender is asked to excel in multiple Roles and in multiple Fronts.

For that reason, and in order to offer NomenClature that speaks not to archaic, obsolete "Positions", but rather to Skill Sets that accurately reflect the dynamic Changes of the 21st Century Game and the Roles they have spawned, I have undertaken to craft Terminology that is designed to break Skill Sets down as they really are.

Defensive Coordinators have, since Time Immemorial, employed highly creative terminology in devising Defenses and in designating Assignments. In that Spirit, I have admittedly indulged myself considerably in devising the following NomenClature. It is undeniably colorful, but I like to think that there's an underlying Logic, as well:

CenterFielders ~ This is my term for "Free Safeties", as I find the application of the term "Safety" ~ a limp, lame term, to put it kindly ~ to be an Asinine Appellation for a Gladiator. The Prototype would be about 5110/200 or so.

CenterFielders are indeed the Last Line of Defense. But I sense that with the increasing Hybridization of Skill Sets in the Years to come, it will be advantageous for Teams to seek CenterFielders who can not only act as a Reserve Defender in Support of their CornerBacks, but who can ~ at a moment's notice, if need be ~ flip into Direct Coverage.

CenterFielders, like RoverBacks and Gryphons, are Hybrids, tasked both with Pass Coverage and Run Defense. Unlike Rovers and Gryphons, however, CenterFielders are expected to prioritize Pass Defense. As such, I'll be breaking my Evaluations down along the same lines as with the others, but with a decidedly divergent Emphasis:

Run Defense: Exceptional. Maye's tremendous Processing Speed and Field Vision often allow'm to anticipate where the Play's headed, which adds significantly to'is Range. He exhibits terrific Combat Skills, navigating Traffic, helped substantially by'is exceptional Power and extraordinary WingSpan, and he's a reliable Tackler.

Pass Coverage: Effective. He's got the Power, Fluidity, Combat Skills, and WingSpan to compete adeptly against Tight Ends and Flex Ends, and enough Speed to compete with most HalfBacks and SlotBacks.

Range: Exceptional. He doesn't have stellar Speed, but it's sufficient and is greatly enhanced by exceptional Fluidity and above all by his extraordinary Field Vision and Processing Speed, which add Miles to'is Range!!

I keep reading that Marcus Maye is an "interchangeable" Defensive Back ~ that he can play CenterFielder or Rover ~ and I couldn't agree more. His extraordinary cerebral Powers render'm a better Fit at CenterFielder, though, and if I was grading'm as a RoverBack, I'd drop his Run Defense down to effective. Indeed, while I agree that he is versatile and certainly interchangeable, I believe that it's an easy Choice: As a RoverBack, I'd grade'm as effective in both main Categories ~ Pass Coverage and Run Defense ~ but as a CenterFielder, where the two main ~ most important ~ Categories are Run Defense and Range, he is exceptional at both. He is a Natural Born CenterFielder.

Grateful Thanks, as always, for the invaluable Work done by the folks atDraft BreakDown!!​​

Yank Rank: Beast ~ Par Value

Market Value

#39

Yankee Grade

1st/2nd Round

Please do Note: This and all Evaluations issued by this Site are produced by a ludicrously unqualified Amateur, privy to not even the tiniest fraction of Coach's Tape, Scouting Expertise, Face to Face Interviewing, Experience, or Inside Information enjoyed by the Professionals. As such, anything put forth is certainly misinformed, euphonious, derivative Tripe, and should be rejected out'f hand and indeed shunned by all men and women of Good Will!! I'm trying to discern Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and far more abstract, esoteric Concepts such as Processing Speed and Motor, and I'm trying to do so based almost entirely on a fascinating fusion of Tape, Combine Numbers, and Pro Days, while trying to attenuate my findings based on Allowances for Competition Level, Scheme, Concept, Context, and, above all: Trajectory!!

None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!